When Love Lasts.

21. Love From The Past.

•Shubman Gill•

The water became red as I washed my hands. I washed Mayan's blood from my arms as Khyati stood beside me in the washroom and looked continuously at me.

"Thank You." She whispered. I turned to look at her as I soaked my hands in towel. I held her arms and pulled her in a hug.  I caressed her back as she sobbed silently. She pulled back and I wiped the tears away from her cheeks. I looked intensely in her eyes and then at her lips.

She came closer and pecked my lips and then hugged me. "Shub?" "Hmm!" "I love you, so much that you don't even have an idea." She looked up and I smirked "I love you more."

I hang her in my arms and then laid her on the bed. "Inayat." She said "She's with Maa and Paa next door." I winked.

Khyati rested her head on my chest and we both looked up at the ceiling. After a long pause "Khyati, why you didn't left him at first, you left him after 6 years? Why?" I asked.

"Shub, when I saw him in the college he was the first that became my friend, we were 19 at that time. We had a college trip to Dehradun. There he proposed me. As that was my first ever relationship and I was so Sure about it that it will end up well. After our college I started writing when he who was from a royal family. Started drinking and smoking. For the first two years it was not so bad. But after the 2nd year, He used to disturb me when I used to be in meetings. He once came in my house drunk, It was our third year, he hobbled all over our house. I was with a Journalist who came for my interview because I had published a book that became best selling.

I was so embarrassed by his actions. I tried breaking up with him but he had cut his wrist and had admitted in the hospital. I didn't broke up instead I told him I'll be with him but he need to change. He was then changed. He didn't stopped drinking but also he neither came drunk in front of anyone. Soon I got married to him after 4 years and that was my mistake. Because I was in love. Loving him was a mistake. The next day of our marriage, he slapped me so hard that I had a bruise on my cheek for a week. Just because I talked with one of his friends. Soon months passed and the marks on my body increased because of his aggression." She turned to me.

"And then one day I got to know that he was sleeping with Jiya. Jiya was my college friend.
I don't know why I didn't left him. Maybe I was fallen for his betrayal and not for his love because he never loved me. Even after he hit me daily I was not ready to leave him. Just like my maa. She also didn't left paa but after all she did and I did too.... Shubman I loved him so much and thought that he will change one day but one day he came home with the knife and charged me. That day he got to know that I was pregnant. He wanted to kill me. Not once but thrice. One with a knife. Second with a medicine and third-" she paused and sat up straight.

She closed her eyes "Third with a gun. He thought that baby in my womb wasn't his child." She burst in tears. I immediately got up and hugged her. She continuously weeped on my chest while tears roll down my eyes. She has suffered so much. I can't even imagine how hard was this for my Khyati. For the first time in a while I have cried and this time for Khyati.

Minutes passed and I realised Khyati was no longer crying. She dozed of to sleep in my arms. I slowly wiped away my tears and laid hugging her on the bed.

She was sleeping peacefully in my arms. While I was watching her, I couldn't digest what Khyati has just told me. She loved a man and that bastard kept hurting her. I looked at the scar she had on her arm. I slowly caressed her and a tear roll down my cheek.

Khyati have gone through so much. She hasn't healed yet, she still gets the nightmare of him charging at her with a knife or a gun. She hasn't stopped thinking about him. He can hurt her again. And I won't let that happen. It's the time.